The Melancholy of Love
by FallingStars15
Summary: [AU. A collection of short stories] Story 2: Last Chance. AU. "Please…just let me hold your hand…for a little while." NaLu
1. I Wouldn't Mind

**Story 1 **

**Title: I Wouldn't Mind **

**Summary: AU. "With her by my side, I wouldn't mind it . . . at all."** **School-fic. (Natsu~Lucy) **

_**Writer's Note**: Hi guys! This fic is inspired by the song "I Wouldn't Mind" by He is We, and by my friends. XD Truth be told, I do not own anything, except for the writing (I guess) for some of the scenes (by the word "some", it means almost all) actually had happened (in a little, teeny tiny part of the planet). The characters may resemble people (my friends/coursemates). I really much owe them._

_Enjoy! XD_

_By the way, this is Natsu's POV._

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* * *

It all started when she told everyone inside the classroom that _she loves me._

_She loves me?!_

_Wait, how did it all happen?_

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* * *

We were waiting in the hallway for our professor to arrive. It was morning, and a few students walked past us as they each went to their next class. The classroom was locked and my classmates and I stood at the side, occasionally talking about random things, when I heard someone call my name.

"Natsu!"

I looked around and spotted _her_, eyes shining a little too evilly, as she approached me with a mischievous smile on her face.

I silently grunted but I maintained my smile.

"Lucy..."

"Guess what I have heard?" she asked, prompting me to say anything, but I just remained silent and returned her gaze.

She sighed in defeat.

Rolling her eyes, she then said, "Lisanna likes you!"

"Okay," I said, a neutral expression on my face.

She looked disbelievingly at me. But then, she ignored it and said, "Do you remember what happened last Saturday when we were having our lecture at the court? I was depending on your back for support when she called me and pulled me away from you. She didn't want to see us together. Hihi ~"

"Okay."

That was the only reply I had in my mind.

Whenever someone teased me about her, I would just agree to avoid the issue. Anyway, it would pass once they didn't get whatever expected reaction they would like me to have. And if I would deny it, they would not believe me and would continue to tease me until they get tired.

_If they get tired at all._

"What?! All that you're saying is 'Okay'?!"

I laughed at her expression.

With all the evidence she had - which is, only one - it is _really_ sufficient to conclude that that was true.

She was about to give up and leave me when she noticed Lisanna walking toward our general direction.

_No, toward us._

"Lisanna! You have a crush on Natsu, right?" she shouted.

And that was really awkward.

Especially in front of me.

I glanced at Lisanna whose face had turned a deep shade of red. She tearlessly cried at Lucy and gently flailing her arms toward her, she defended herself while nearly shouting.

"Oh, no! I didn't have a crush on him! No, no, no! How many times I have told you that I don't like him!"

Both Lisanna and I were in the same shoes. Except, she tried really hard to tell everyone that she has no feelings for me and as a result, our classmates constantly teased her about it.

Lucy laughed with amusement. "Your face, Lisanna! It all betrayed you!"

"No, I didn't like him, Lucy! It is not true!"

It was naturally weird to witness this event.

Then, Lucy stopped, as if she had thought of something. She faced me.

Her chocolate brown eyes stared unto mine.

What was she thinking?

Then, her next few words made my heart literally skip a beat.

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* * *

_"Natsu, I really like you."_

Her tone was serious. She didn't break her gaze as if her life depended on them. It was as if whoever would first break our eye contact in our staring contest would lose.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Lisanna with her mouth gaped open.

Okay, it was getting a little bit more uncomfortable so I lost our "staring" contest.

But I remembered that I should respond to her. So I laughed.

"You're crazy."

"No, I really like you. Even if Lisanna denied all of her feelings for you, I am at least straight forward to tell you. I really like you, Natsu." She smiled at me.

Her expression was _so genuine_ that for a moment, I had mistakenly believed that it was true.

But the _slight, sudden flicker_ _of her eyes_ towards Lisanna gave it away.

I returned her smile.

"Good act, Lucy. Now, stop it."

She was surprised.

"But I really like you, Natsu!"

By then, our professor arrived and one by one, my classmates all went inside the room. They had no idea what had just happened.

Except us three.

I shook my head no, then left them.

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* * *

"Natsu! I like, like, like you!"

Her cheerful greeting made my day a little worse than yesterday.

It actually gave me a headache.

We were sitting at a nearby shed outside the building. With their tiny round yellow leaves falling on us, the trees surrounding the five of us also gave shade from the sun. We were discussing a particular topic for the report tomorrow.

Mira laughed. "Lucy, I am very proud that you really declared your undying love on Natsu! Go, Lucy!"

Gray nudged me. "Idiot, now reply to her before she does something even crazier!"

So, I replied. "Okay. I get it, Lucy. So stop it."

She sweetly smiled at me.

Lisanna was laughing as she said, "How cute!"

Then, Lucy looked at the last commentor.

"Lis, even if he loves you, I would always love him! I can wait for him, even forever! My love for him was surely greater than all the stars combined, and also greater than yours!"

They all laughed. Well, except her and me.

"Guys, it's all true!" she desperately told us.

Now that I knew that she had always faked this "undying love" for me from the start, I easily noticed that she put effort in saying these things.

"Lucy, stop that. Let's work on our report," I gently told her.

"Okay. But Natsu, I like you."

Here she goes again. With her serious face and all.

Sighing, I replied.

"Okay."

With a blink of an eye, her mood suddenly shifted.

"Okay guys, this is now serious. The rhetorical patterns for paragraphs include..." she rattled on.

What she had said earlier wasn't true, of course.

Because _she is Lucy._

_And she can never like me._

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* * *

That afternoon, as I walked along the hallway for our math class, her voice echoed along with our classmates' just before I entered the room.

"And I met crush number 12 in the ride earlier! We were sitting next to each other!" She blushed and giggled as her friends joined her.

"And then, yesterday, I met crush number 83 in the basketball court! As usual, he made a three-point shoot!"

Pretending not to hear any of them, I walked leisurely towards my seat, which was a bit far from hers. I took a notebook and opened it, while I toyed a pen in my right hand.

"But Lu-chan, haven't you said that you already like Natsu?" Levy worriedly asked her as she pointed at me. I showed no interest by pretending to study but I sneakily eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Oh, Natsu is here?"

She then spotted me and waved her hands hello. "Natsu!"

Walking towards me, she continued, "Even if I have one hundred crushes, my first and only love was you. It is only you."

"Okay, whatever."

"Oh...you're jealous?!" she laughed aloud.

"Of course, not." I rolled my eyes. "What I am trying to say is, you don't really have to tell everyone that you like me. So stop pretending, Lucy. Whatever plan you had won't work on me."

She stared at me, her eyes huge.

Okay, I had hit the nail.

I won.

But the next thing I knew, she ruffled my hair.

"Don't worry, Natsu. I will always love you, even if you keep pushing me away. Even if I would have to catch the stars above or go to the moon, I would do anything for you."

"Don't be too cheesy here, Luce."

"Oh, am I? So blame it on yourself, Natsu. You have just made me fall for you." She winked.

Only then I noticed that all the noise earlier had escaped, and we were the only two having our conversation. I looked around and saw all of them staring incredulously at both of us.

Well, only Levy, Mira, Gray and Lisanna knew that Lucy had been "confessing" to me.

"Oh...Natsu and Lucy? I thought it was Natsu and Lisanna!" was the shout over there, and "Natsu has two lovers?!" was on the other. There were teasing and giggles around me and various shouts saying, "Go, Lucy!" and "But Lisanna..."

The whole room was in a commotion.

"Guys!" Lucy shouted. "Be quiet!"

Oh, I failed to mention that she was also our batch representative, by the way.

She heaved a sigh. "I love Natsu, okay? So, Lis..." she turned her head to the said person, " we're gonna battle for his heart. Whoever is more deserving for his love, will be with him."

Lis' jaw dropped. Again.

Everyone cheered for the two.

Meanwhile, I sighed in defeat.

This is getting..._a little tiring_.

Being her center of attention and all.

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* * *

Days passed by, and whenever she got a chance to tell me that she loves me, I always pretended that it never bothered me.

At all.

She always did it that I have been looking forward to let her words enter my first ear and go out from the other.

Our classmates just laughed at her childish antics.

Whenever Lis was near, she would say to me, "Natsu, even if you love Lis, I will forever love you. My heart was stabbed a million times everytime you gaze at her. But, even if I am always hurt by your rejection, I'll wait for you." She dramatically put her hand above her heart as if to emphasize her point while Lis would just say softly, "We do not love each other," and ignored her.

It went on for a few weeks.

But soon the exam week was approaching, and we turned our attention to a long list of projects, term papers, important requirements, and of course, final exams.

Whenever we passed by each other, I would always find myself preparing for whatever "confession" she would tell me, but (luckily) she would just tell about the things she needed to do.

After all, she was a busy person.

And from time to time, she slowly forgot the bet she made.

Wasn't it good?

Yes, it is _good_.

After all, she could get a little _annoying_ whenever she "confessed" to me.

But...

_I kind of... missed it._

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* * *

We returned after a one and a half months of winter/semestral break for our second semester.

Every time I looked at her...

Wait, why did I look at her every time?

Anyway, she was still jolly. She was still lively.

Whenever we got a chance to be together, even if we were just walking towards our next class, she would chat with me.

I laughed every time she said something funny.

She laughed every time I told her a witty joke.

She treated me just like a best friend would do.

After all, we had gotten close ever since that incident.

But...

little by little, I see her with a new light.

Every time she turned her back to me as she entered the room, her blonde hair was beautifully cascading down, like waterfalls, as it reflected the light.

Every time she looked at me with her chocolate eyes, I found sincerity and kindness in them.

Every time she smiled at me, it was filled with pure happiness that it glowed around her.

Every time she was lonely, she just cheered herself up. She was always optimistic.

Wait, why am I describing her so...poetically?! I even used "_pure happiness_" and "_beautifully_ _cascading_"?!

Let me take a break.

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* * *

One time when I stayed late in school for a certain project, my groupmates and I, after working for several hours to construct a miniature Great Pyramid, were already finished. We walked together from the building to the bus stop, where they had gone ahead when a bus took them to their destination. Sadly, my bus had not arrived yet.

It was past eight p.m., the night was dark and there was a little light from a lamppost a few meters from me.

Then, I saw a figure of a girl walking towards me from the sidewalk.

I couldn't see her clearly, because her head was down and her hair was falling across her face.

Never in my life have I imagined myself encountering a ghost.

I was stonified in my place.

No, no, no!

'I am brave,' I told myself. Gaining courage, I immediately hid under the bush behind me.

The ghost didn't seem to notice me.

I sighed in relief. But I was still scared.

She stopped at the place where I had been, her back facing me.

What if she turns around and scare me with her ugly face? I tried not to shiver at that thought.

Then, I heard her crying softly.

Oh no, I have not only just seen a ghost, but a weeping one, too?

Does this did not get any scarier?

"Natsu..."

I was shocked.

It really gets scarier!

How did she knew my name?!

"I...miss you, idiot," she laughed weakly.

Wait, her voice...

Don't tell me...

Despite my shaking earlier, I stood up and tried to see her with the little light from the post.

When another bus drove by and shined on her face, I saw her.

She was her.

She was _here._

My fright earlier was now gone, but it was replaced with another.

_Why was she crying?_

She wiped her face with a handkerchief and laughed. "You're hopeless, Lucy. All this time, you constantly watched him from afar. He is near, but far." She sighed.

Had she been talking to herself this whole time?!

I thought she was talking to _me_!?

"I always wished that I saw you as just a friend, the first time we meet each other's eyes. If that had happened, I would never be hurt now. We would just be friends, forever. Then I'd fall in love with someone else that would also like me. We would just be happy."

She looked up at the night sky with millions of stars twinkling above her.

Or us.

And that made her smile.

"But, at least, I got to experience what it felt like. Thank you."

Oh no, who is this person she was talking about?!

"With that, I will try to move on."

She smiled, her brown eyes reflecting the sadness she felt.

How could she change my description of her?

At first, I would describe her as annoying, sly, mischievous, dramatic, and annoying.

But, knowing her, she was pretty sweet (the way she said those things earlier about a certain someone), nice, and rare, although a little bit weird (when she and her "love" towards me).

I was staring at her for quite some time that I had not noticed that a bus stopped in front of her and she stepped in.

As the bus drove down the road, my trance broke off.

She was nowhere.

Wait...

_Why does everyone leave me behind?!_

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* * *

When we were preparing for our exhibit, my friends and I invented our generation's - I mean, our batch's - future couples.

"Oh, it is very nice to hear... Levy McGarden-Redfox," Gray said, eyeing Levy and Gajeel.

Gajeel remarked, "No, this is nicer: Juvia Lockser-Fullbuster."

Juvia's face turned very red while Gray just appeared emotionless.

I said, "Another one: Erza Scarlet- Fernandez."

We all cheered.

Well, except _one_.

I spotted _her_, giving all of her attention to why she was doing: cutting pieces of papers into intricate designs.

I remembered what happened the other night when she was crying.

Just who is this guy that made her cry? I would knock some sense into him. That idiot!

Aside from me in the past, I have never heard about other guys whom she was teased with by her friends these days. Well, except her crushes.

But...there were millions of them! Just who is the only one that prevails?

An idea strucked me. Maybe, I could gather some information from my classmates.

Clearing my throat, I said aloud, " Um...what about Lucy?"

She didn't hear me.

Oh no, my classmates just stared at me.

_Plan A Failed. _

_Time for Plan B. Purpose: to divert attention from my embarrassed face to her._

I appeared to be thinking for a moment and then, I continued, "Lucy...Heartfilia. Yes, Lucy _Heartfilia_."

We all chuckled.

At last, when she noticed us laughing, she asked.

"What about my name? Why are you all laughing?" She looked at us innocently.

We just shrugged our shoulders.

Truly, she never knew.

But I kind of wish she did, to defend herself and for me to know who is this "_him_" she was referring to the other night.

And to convince myself that I couldn't be that "_him_".

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* * *

One time, when we were having our two-day activity in a faraway town, our classmates and I separated into groups and looked for nearby boarding houses to spend for the night.

Fortunately for us, we had one.

But one group doesn't have any place to stay. All of the boarding houses around them were fully-booked.

The night was getting darker, the people walking at the downtown becoming lesser with each passing second, but one person with a brave heart walked along one of the empty roads to help that group.

It was only by tomorrow that I knew of it.

Anyway, she helped them look for a place to stay and they were very lucky to have found one.

They were very grateful to her.

"She had been our hope that night," as Wendy would say. She nearly cried when she saw her approaching towards them.

But, I didn't know any of that before I replied to her, _"I hadn't found one_" when she asked everyone if they had already found a place to stay.

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* * *

The next morning, as I entered the room with a smile on my face, I approached my classmates.

"Hi guys!" I grinned.

They only looked at me and shook their heads.

Huh?

Then, they pointed at something behind me.

I looked at the back, and I noticed her angry expression.

She charged towards me.

"Natsu!"

Oh crap!

I hurriedly ran for my life.

My friends were all laughing at us.

_Great_.

"How could you! I woke up when I heard my phone ringing. When I read your text, I immediately got up from the bed! And then, it was all a joke?! You nearly made me have a heart attack!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, Luce! Please, I'm sorry!" I begged.

She then tickled me angrily (but gently) until I nearly died of laughter.

What a way of tormenting me.

"Urgghh! I hate you, Natsu!" she teasingly said.

Then, we laughed.

"You have made me worried, idiot!" she told me. "But, I am glad it was all a joke. But I'm still angry at you!"

I ruffled her hair. "Thank you, Lucy."

She glared at me.

I grinned.

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* * *

Together with our classmates, we were riding on a jeepney on our way home. For a moment, I debated on where to seat. Ah, probably beside Romeo.

She was also there, beside me.

So, basically: Romeo, I, then her.

She wore her earphones and closed her eyes.

_Why do I felt so secure when I'm beside her?_

I shrugged away my thoughts.

Then she slowly fell asleep, her head gently leaning on my shoulder. I tensed a little. It was the first time we were _this_ close.

I smell a faint lavender on her hair and I heard her faint breathing. I felt my heart beat faster, even if all I really wanted was to make it stop.

_Why do I feel so happy?_

_Why do I feel like... I can do anything I have ever dreamed?_

_Why do I feel...home?_

Across from us, I saw Wendy's faint, playful smile as she looked at Lucy and me. When she noticed that I was staring at her, she shifted her gaze down the road.

I shook my head.

_With her by my side, I wouldn't mind it..._

_At all._

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* * *

~**End**~


	2. Last Chance

**Story 2**

**Title: Last Chance**

**Summary:** AU. "Please…just let me hold your hand…for a little while." NaLu.

_**Writer's Note:**__ Yo! It's been such a long time. Hahaha! :D_

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-.*.-.*.-.*.-

**LUCY's POV**

I stood alone at the corner of the town square, shivering as the cold night breeze touched my bare skin. The light feather-like material of the knee-length white dress I was wearing gently danced below me as the wind swept by. Anxiously, I brushed a stray of hair and tucked it behind my ear as I watched the scene before me.

_I probably shouldn't be here._

Lights of different colors – sky blue, yellow, red, pink, green, violet, among others – decorated the trees surrounding the area, making the atmosphere a little _too_ romantic. Slow, soft music played by a band filled the evening air.

A number of couples danced before me. Some of them were young adults, and the others had already had their golden anniversary.

They all looked so lovey-dovey, and bright smiles were painted on their faces.

I felt a little bit of jealousy.

I unconsciously shook my head no.

_ Because five years ago, I used to be one of them._

My thoughts were cut off when I felt a hand brushed across mine, and held it so that our fingers were locked together alternately, just like a jigsaw puzzle.

Quickly turning my head, I gasped aloud as my eyes widened. I felt my cheeks flushed as I looked at the person behind me.

He stared at the distance and did not even try to look at me. A knowing smile spread across the features of his handsome face.

"I'm glad you're here, Lucy," his familiar voice entered my ears.

He still looked the same, with his messy, spiky pink hair that never failed to amaze me (they were like the swirling galaxies in the skies above), his onyx eyes that could pierce through my soul (they shone more brightly than millions of stars), and his reassuring smile that brought a ray of light to the hopeless situation we had been (the one made me fall in love with him _over and over_ _again_). He wore a black tuxedo that made him a bit formal.

Even today, I still felt the electricity at our joined hands.

_ But, this . . ._

Worry clouding my eyes, I gazed down at my feet.

_ . . . this. . . is . . . _

I tenderly let go of his hand, which surprised him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, and I fought back the tears that would surely fall if I didn't calm myself.

He faced me and cupping my cheek with his right hand, he held it tenderly. Just as slightly, he lifted it up so that he could see through my eyes.

My eyes turned glassy as I looked at him.

"T-This, Natsu," I said, my voice shook. "This . . . is _wrong_."

When a tear cascaded down my cheek, I felt the familiar warmth of his hand as he gently brushed it away.

"Love is never wrong, Lucy," he told me, his eyes staring unto mine. "I . . . I always hoped that we would be together someday."

_Me, too._

I shook my head no. _This is not the time for that_. _I needed to control myself._

"We couldn't be. You know that." I glanced away from him.

Silence and tension filled the air between us. Neither of us spoke for the next few minutes. Memories of the past filled my head – the first time I met him, the times I had secretly watched him from afar, those precious times that we accidentally looked at each other's eyes, our first dance, and the reason why we were in this situation now.

"Let's run away, Lucy," he said, determination in his eyes.

I felt my mouth gaped open. "What are you -"

"I'm serious. I could book a ticket for the flight abroad tomorrow and we could stay in my villa there. Nobody knows about that place except my most trusted friends and-"

"Natsu!" I nearly shouted at him. "Don't say such absurd things!"

He looked surprisingly at me. "But why-"

I heaved a sigh. "Don't…leave _her_ like that."

His shifted his gaze from mine. "I couldn't bring myself to love her."

"Natsu, she needs _you_," I pleaded. "And as her bestfriend, I -" he cut me off.

"- would give up our love for her sake?!" he said with a little venom in his voice. "Would you, Lucy?!"

He stared accusingly at me.

_ He . . . he never had gotten this mad at me before. _

I closed my fists, and had gotten carried away with my anger.

"Yes, I would, Natsu!" I replied back at him. "I would do anything just for her to heal! I was the one who made her like that. I . . ." fighting back the tears, I continued, "… I should be the one lying in that bed, unable to walk or even stand!"

Before I realized what happened, he brought his arms around me and hugged me tightly. He tenderly patted my head, just as he always did whenever I was crying.

"I should be the one who would be hit by the car…" I continued, sobbing in his chest.

"No, Lucy. It was all an accident."

"If she hadn't seen us, she'll never be in this state."

"Lucy, don't blame yourself."

"And how dumb I was to not realize that she loves you, too! She just teased me, all those years we've been together, and every time she smiled and laughed aloud, it didn't reach her eyes. Soon I noticed that she was slowly getting uncomfortable around me and as time went by, she drifted away from me."

"Lucy…"

"We've been best friends ever since we're still kids, but…that thing happened and we're strangers now." I got out from his embrace, and looked straightly at him. "Please stay by her side," I said, a serious expression on my face. "Promise me you'll be with her from the time you decided to walk her in the aisle - "

"Lucy . . ." he cut me off. "I . . ."

"- and you promised "I do" to her –"

He lowered his head, and his face slowly darkened.

"Lucy, I'm not going to promise you anything," he softly said, "…because I'm not the one who decided that."

He stared at me, and I managed to see my mistake. "You did."

I was taken aback of what he said. "Natsu-"

"You made me feel guilty for breaking your friendship with her, and how coward I was to oblige to your selfish request!" he snapped, and my eyes widened as tears escaped from his eyes.

"Natsu…I'm sorry…"

"No!" he nearly shouted. "If I didn't do it, we would be happy now, Lucy! We would be married, have our own family just like we have always dreamed, and we would not be in this situation now that we were arguing about the wrong decisions we had in the past!"

"Natsu…I-"

I felt guilt for making the only man I ever loved cry in front of me. I brought a hand to his cheek and wiped his tears away. He froze for a second, and I prepared myself for his rejection, but gladly, it didn't came.

"I-I'm… sorry…" I said. "I truly am. Every day, for these past years, I had never forgiven myself for letting you go. But, we can't be together now, Natsu."

"…" He looked away from me.

Gently turning his face so that he could see how I really felt, I stared at his eyes. I fought a smile as I thought how I get lost to the depths of them.

"Please, understand. We can't make mistakes again. I…I'm just…glad to see you again after such a long time."

His gaze unto mine softened.

"I have always loved you, Lucy." He said, emotions playing in his eyes. "I just want you to know that I still do."

I unconsciously shook my head no, a warm smile played on my lips.

"I do, too."

* * *

-.*.-.*.-.*.-

"Do you remember that time when we were stargazing?" he asked me, great enthusiasm in his voice. "We saw a shooting star, and when I looked at you, you were like-" he stopped, and mimicked the familiar expression on my face a long time ago, my mouth wide open and my eyes forming like giant saucers.

He laughed cheerfully as I rolled my eyes and pretended to be angry.

"I didn't make that expression; you're exaggerating things!"

I lightly punched him at his chest.

His hands were wrapped around my waist, mine around his neck, as we were swaying gently with the music.

"_This is our last chance"_

"_We would never make mistakes again_"

A few couples were smiling brightly at us and I hear them whisper to their partners, "_Young couples these days…_" or things like, "_they just looked like us when we were young, don't they?_" Feeling amused, Natsu and I just smiled at each other.

"'_Cause there's no tomorrow"_

"_We'll stay this way because this is our last"_

"_And we need to go home soon"_

"Lucy…"

"Hmm?"

"You're as beautiful as ever."

"Don't flatter me up, Spiky Pink."

He chuckled. "It's true, Wise Blonde."

I blushed.

"_Hold my hand for a little while_"

"_Before we would part ways_"

"_Let's give our all, our all._"

"Natsu?"

"Hmm?"

"You're still not good at dancing, ne? You always stepped out of rhythm."

"That's because my dancing partner has been escaping from me for the past five years."

He smiled warmly at me.

"Oh…"

"_Let's say goodbye to our last dance_"

"_I realized that the sky, too, has a limit._"

I didn't know how long we stared at each other, smiling, wishing that that moment would last forever.

I would do _anything . . ._

For time to stop now.

"_And that's why, we'll let go of each other's hands together_"

"_In our last dance._"

When the music ended, I loosened my hand around his neck and brought them to my sides. The next moment, he gently held it.

I chuckled. "Natsu, the song itself says that we would let go of -"

"Please…just let me hold your hand…for a little while," he pleaded.

I blinked at him, and red blush creeping on my cheeks, I gave in.

I looked at our joined hands.

_Maybe this is our last chance of seeing each other._

When I lifted my head up, my eyes widened as I felt his face so close to mine that he managed to stole a kiss from me. I blushed furiously at his actions.

It was a quick one, but the feeling lasted.

When I regained my composure, I told him, "That's illegal, you know."

"Yeah," he calmly replied. "And I would do it a thousand times if that would make you happy." He ruffled my hair.

"It wouldn't!" I shouted, then laughed.

"Lucy… we'll meet again someday, right?"

"Natsu, I think it's not a good idea-"

"No-" he said, stopping me. "I mean, I just want to know how you were doing. I also want you to be happy."

I looked at his eyes as he continued, "My heart only belongs to you, Lucy, right from the very start."

"Natsu…"

"Just be happy, okay? I… I would really get jealous if you would like someone else. Heck, I bet I would kill him right away." He laughed. "But, when you would realize that you're happy being with him, then, that's fine with me."

He smiled, but his eyes, showing the pain he felt right now, betrayed it.

"Natsu…" I trailed off.

_Did he mean that I should forget him and move on?_

"I'm very happy to love you. You are worth my happiness, my tears, my life. You're a dream to me, Lucy," he said, his sincere eyes staring down unto mine. "You'll always be right here." He placed my right hand above his heart.

"But if loving me caused you sadness…this is hard for me to say this, but…move on, okay?"

.

.

.

_No…._

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

"I would stay by Lisanna's side, just like you wanted."

.

.

.

_ No…_

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

"I -" he stopped, and took a step away from me. "I hope that you'll be happy."

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

_ No._

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

"Because if you're happy, I would be fine, too." He took another step away.

.

.

.

_ Natsu…no… _

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

Our hands were still joined, and I unconsciously took a step toward him.

.

.

.

"This is our last chance, and I'm glad that I got to see _you_ again."

.

.

.

_ Please…_

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

"I - " he softly said, his eyes looking at the dark moonless sky above. ". . . I have decided that I will take care of her and try to love her . . ."

.

.

.

By this time he took another step, our fingers were dangerously being separated.

.

.

.

_ No…_

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

I closed my eyes as tears rolled down my cheeks.

.

.

.

I knew that this would happen, so I have always prepared myself for it.

.

.

.

_But,_

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

_ it really hurts!_

_ ._

_ ._

_ ._

One step away from me. . .

.

.

.

was all it takes

.

.

.

for his hand

.

.

.

to slowly let go of mine ...

.

.

.

He looked at me, and I saw his onyx eyes glassy with tears.

.

.

.

"I will always love you, Lucy,"

.

.

.

His voice echoed in my ears.

.

.

.

He turned around, and . . .

.

.

.

walked away.

.

.

.

_I…_

_._

_._

_._

_I will …_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_always be…_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_in love with you, too_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_But I must…_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_let you go…_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

My fingers froze in the mid-air after I felt his last touch.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Slowly,

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

_just as slowly_…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

as tears cascaded down my cheeks,

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I held it tenderly in my chest.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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.

End.

.

.

.

.

.

.

* * *

_**Writer's Note:**__ I know, I'm into angst (hahahaha!) and I don't even know why. XD This story was inspired by Kamikaze's "Huling Sayaw". __ The lyrics above were translated from the original ones. _

_Well, then, see you next time! :D_


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